Bayonet Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Blog

Simple Tips for Avoiding Clogged Drains

As is the case with any other system in your home, problems with your plumbing system are unavoidable. There are a lot of different pipes in this system, and it is only a matter of time before something goes wrong with at least one of them. This is not to say, however, that such plumbing problems are never the result of user error. Our Tampa, FL plumbers want to help you keep your plumbing problems to a bare minimum.

In an effort to do so, we’ve put together some helpful tips that will help you to keep your drains functioning effectively and reliably. No, there is no way to guarantee that you will never run into trouble with your drains. In fact, it is very much the case that you will run into drainage issues eventually. That being said, you can help to minimize the frequency with which you encounter such problems by keeping these simple tips in mind.

Cover Your Drains

No, not completely. If you were to do that, then water would not be able to get down the drains to begin with! What you should do is run out to the hardware store, even if you’ve even got a few bucks in your pocket. That’s all you need to get some effective drain covers that can help to keep clogs from forming.

In most cases, the clogs in sinks and showers are caused by items like food scraps and hair getting down into the drain. By using these cheap but effective drain covers, you can trap those materials before they enter the system. It’s all about prevention, folks.

Use Your Garbage Disposal Properly

One major contributor to many drain clogs is the garbage disposal. Wait, what? Yes, that’s right. The very appliance that so many homeowners use to make their kitchen sinks more convenient can actually contribute to clogs. Or, we should say, the misuse of this appliance can.

Some homeowners don’t really pay attention to the limits of their garbage disposal, and they’ll just toss very greasy and oily pans into the sink and rinse them out while running the disposal. The disposal can handle the food scraps in such pans, but it’s not going to somehow process the grease and oils any better than a regular old drain would. They’ll still congeal and wind up causing clogs, so pour that FOG (fats, oil, grease) off before soaking your pots.

Schedule Professional Drain Cleaning

So you have noticed that your drains are moving more slowly than normal. What do you do? Pour some chemical cleaners down the drain and call it a day? This is, at best, a bandage applied to the symptom. It is not going to treat the source of the problem. Chances are there is plenty of clog left in your drains, and the longer you continue to treat the system, the longer it has to become a more serious problem.

If a clog has already developed, you need professional drain cleaning in order to keep it from getting worse and worse. This is one of the great services that we have to offer.